Memory lapse or memory slip?

Obviously the chemical names didn't make the transfer from your short term memory to your long term memory.

The chemical names 'slipped your mind'. This constituted a 'memory lapse'.

Alzheimers I'd say.

I'd give you some of my pills but I forgot where i put them.

I get the same way with botanical plant names.

read, write, repeat.

spidergal,

ossobuco has your correct answer, but might I comment on a few other expressions in your post?



That should be chemistry practicum



"on the tip of my tongue" means that you could almost speak the words but could not quite remember them.

"at your fingertips" means that something was almost in your posession



This should be "I remember having..."

Although not incorrect, it is better to use the most recent tense that works



no need to hyphenate, homework is already its own word



"To my X, ..." is an antiquated form that now only sounds right when used with specific words, such as: "to my despair"



memory lapse does not refer to the state but to the specific action (or non-action) of not remembering

the best word to describe the state is "forgetful"

Good points, Stuh.

I'll add 'to my consternation' to 'to my despair'.

Ah yes, I tried to think of other examples but none came to mind...and how could I forget "to my surprise", which is probably the most common of all?

Thank you, everybody.

Stuh, thank you to you too for pointing out those mistakes. But, I assure you, except for the "to my X" one I wouldn't have made any one of them had I taken the time to review the post. I was in real hurry. It just struck me and I churned all out in a matter of one minute.

Oh, and this is the English forum. I know, I know.

Senior moment?

Ehem, junior moment. :wink:

I have a pretty good memory. I am a dab hand at mugging up. This lapse has come to me as a shock.

Dadpad,

Does Alzheimer's happen to 19 year olds too?

What were we talking about?


Nice redback spider gal. I have several in my shed.

Juvenile Alzheimer's. Ooh!

In my family (and this gets said a lot in my family), we'd say, "You have a brain like a sieve."

Which in this context sounds like a bad thing. Most of what goes in just passes right through.

But in the grander scheme of things, ain't it better if most of the crap you encounter each day doesn't make a lasting impression (TV commercials, fer instance).

I like to think of it as my brain is winnowing down the deluge of material coming into it and retaining mostly useful stuff.

Even better would be a mind like a fishing net, but I fear that may be a lot like having a mind like a fish.

Two of my grandparents had minds like fishing nets for the last decade or more.

Just make sure that your name and address don't fall out of your head, and you'll do all right.

:wink:

I'm sorry -- who are you?

I am....

Ack, what did you just say?

Pseudorabies virus kills babies that kid sneezed on by infected piglets.



I'll remember that, but all the stuff I'm supposed to remember is going to go right out the door.

I question one of Stuh's suggestions for improvement whereby he thought
"remembered" was better than "having remembered" although the latter was also correct. I believe "having remembered" is better because Spidergal is telling us at this time how she felt at a past time about a previous situation; hence the past perfect should be used.

I just didn't think she should be telling us how she felt at a past time about a previous situation.

Actually, I remembered having was a typo. I should have said I remember having.



Won't would fit in better than should?